Gunnersdad49
WKR
I purchased an HMR in 6.5 CM last fall to hopefully replace my Ruger Precision Rifle in the same caliber.
The RPR shoots damn near everything really well, and I’ve stretched it to 1250 yards in local competitions. It is just so dang heavy that I thought the HMR was a great crossover to shoot distance and hunt with.
The accuracy of the HMR was terrible for a “Hunting and Match Rifle”. Out of 6 factory match loads, I couldn’t get any of them to put three rounds in under 1.5”. I would alternate rifles, and the RPR would put them into a half inch.
I tried cleaning between strings, shooting cold, shooting hot, leaving it dirty, nothing helped. I re- torqued the action screws. I tried bipod and shooting bags, just couldn’t make it group.
I was ready to sell the rifle, but took it apart first to look for issues. I had read that some people had some paint overspray on their mini chassis, and sure enough, mine was completely painted. Some advice for this ranged from “send it back,” to nail polish remover, scotch bright pads, etc. I had sandpaper, so I used that. 100 grit with light pressure until all metal was exposed. I put it all back together, re-torqued the action screws to 55 inch pounds, and took it to the range today.
Problem solved! The improvement is marked, and it is shooting several loads well under an inch! These are some of the same loads I tried previously, so no load - data witchcraft.
The RPR shoots damn near everything really well, and I’ve stretched it to 1250 yards in local competitions. It is just so dang heavy that I thought the HMR was a great crossover to shoot distance and hunt with.
The accuracy of the HMR was terrible for a “Hunting and Match Rifle”. Out of 6 factory match loads, I couldn’t get any of them to put three rounds in under 1.5”. I would alternate rifles, and the RPR would put them into a half inch.
I tried cleaning between strings, shooting cold, shooting hot, leaving it dirty, nothing helped. I re- torqued the action screws. I tried bipod and shooting bags, just couldn’t make it group.
I was ready to sell the rifle, but took it apart first to look for issues. I had read that some people had some paint overspray on their mini chassis, and sure enough, mine was completely painted. Some advice for this ranged from “send it back,” to nail polish remover, scotch bright pads, etc. I had sandpaper, so I used that. 100 grit with light pressure until all metal was exposed. I put it all back together, re-torqued the action screws to 55 inch pounds, and took it to the range today.
Problem solved! The improvement is marked, and it is shooting several loads well under an inch! These are some of the same loads I tried previously, so no load - data witchcraft.
